Active Effects

Active Effects allow you to create temporary or permanent modifications to character attributes. They can represent conditions, magic item bonuses, spell effects, or any other modifier that changes a character's statistics.

Overview

Active Effects can modify any numeric value on an actor's data. They can come from:

Conditions (e.g., stunned, blessed, cursed)
Magic items (e.g., +1 Strength while equipped)
Spell effects (e.g., -2 to next attack)
Class abilities or other sources

Accessing Effects

On Actor Sheets

Open any character sheet (player or NPC)
Click the Effects tab
Use the Create Effect button to add new effects

On Item Sheets

Open any item (weapon, armor, equipment, etc.)
Click the Effects tab
Use the Create Effect button to add effects that will apply when the item is equipped

Creating an Effect

When you create a new effect, you can configure:

Name: A descriptive name for the effect
Icon: An image to represent the effect
Changes: The actual modifications to apply (see Common Attribute Keys below)
Duration: How long the effect lasts
Disabled: Toggle the effect on/off without deleting it

Adding Changes

Each change consists of:

Attribute Key: The path to the value you want to modify
Change Mode: How to apply the modification (Add, Multiply, Override, etc.)
Effect Value: The value to use for the modification. This can be a plain number (e.g., 2) or an @-variable reference to another actor attribute (e.g., @system.abilities.lck.mod). See Using @-Variable References below.

⚠️ Always target the modifier field, never the editable base value.

Many stats expose a dedicated modifier field whose only job is to receive Active Effects — for example system.attributes.ac.otherMod (not ac.value), system.saves.ref.otherBonus (not ref.value), system.class.spellCheckOtherMod, and system.skills.<skill>.otherMod (not <skill>.value). These fields are derived-only: the character sheet never submits them, so an effect can add to them freely without ever overwriting the number you typed in.

If you instead point an Add effect at an editable base field (like a thief skill's value, or an ability score's value), the effect overlays the value you can edit on the sheet. While the effect is active, any manual edit to that field is discarded when the sheet saves — the system cannot tell your edit apart from the effect's contribution. Worse, on system versions before 0.70.17 every sheet save (which happens whenever you change anything, including the character's name, notes, portrait, or current HP) wrote the already-modified number back as the new base, making the value climb (or fall) permanently on its own. Targeting the otherMod/otherBonus field avoids all of this. When in doubt, look for a *Mod / *Bonus field on the stat and use that.

Ability scores have their own modifier field: system.abilities.<ability>.otherMod (e.g. system.abilities.str.otherMod). An effect there shifts the effective score — and therefore the derived modifier — while the base score you type on the sheet stays fully hand-editable. Never target system.abilities.*.value or .max directly. Hit Points still have no modifier field, so for HP changes edit the value directly on the sheet. See Troubleshooting if a character's scores drifted on a system version before 0.70.17.

Using @-Variable References

Instead of entering a static number as the Effect Value, you can reference another attribute on the actor using the @ prefix. The reference will be resolved dynamically each time effects are applied, so the bonus updates automatically when the referenced attribute changes.

Syntax: @path.to.property

Examples: - @system.abilities.lck.mod - The character's Luck modifier - @system.abilities.str.mod - The character's Strength modifier - @system.abilities.per.value - The character's Personality score

Note that @-references only read the referenced attribute, so it is safe to reference any path — including .value fields like the Personality score above. The restriction against .value fields applies to the Attribute Key the effect targets (see the warning above), not to the paths an effect value reads from.

If the referenced path doesn't exist or isn't a number, it resolves to 0. A warning will be logged to the browser console (F12) to help diagnose typos in attribute paths.

Important timing note: @-variable references are resolved before other effects are applied. If another effect modifies the attribute you reference, the reference will see the unmodified value. In practice this only matters when two effects interact with the same attribute.

@-Variable Use Case Ideas

Goal	Key	Mode	Value
Add Luck mod to melee attacks	`system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment`	Add	`@system.abilities.lck.mod`
Add Luck mod to missile attacks	`system.details.attackHitBonus.missile.adjustment`	Add	`@system.abilities.lck.mod`
Add Luck mod to melee damage	`system.details.attackDamageBonus.melee.adjustment`	Add	`@system.abilities.lck.mod`
Add Personality mod to AC	`system.attributes.ac.otherMod`	Add	`@system.abilities.per.mod`
Add Luck mod to Reflex saves	`system.saves.ref.otherBonus`	Add	`@system.abilities.lck.mod`
Add Stamina mod to initiative	`system.attributes.init.otherMod`	Add	`@system.abilities.sta.mod`
Add Luck mod to spell checks	`system.class.spellCheckOtherMod`	Add	`@system.abilities.lck.mod`
Apply birth augur luck to AC (Charmed house)	`system.attributes.ac.otherMod`	Add	`@system.details.birthAugurLuckMod`

Common Use Cases

Example 1: "-2 to next attack" (Temporary Penalty)

Go to the actor's Effects tab
Click Create Effect
In the effect editor:
Name: "-2 Attack Penalty"
Add two changes:
- Key: system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment, Mode: Add, Value: -2
- Key: system.details.attackHitBonus.missile.adjustment, Mode: Add, Value: -2
Set duration as needed (e.g., 1 round)

Example 2: "Add Luck modifier to melee attacks" (Dynamic Reference)

Go to the actor's Effects tab
Click Create Effect
In the effect editor:
Name: "Luck bonus to melee"
Add change: Key: system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment, Mode: Add, Value: @system.abilities.lck.mod
The value @system.abilities.lck.mod will automatically resolve to the character's current Luck modifier each time effects are applied. If the Luck score changes, the bonus updates automatically.

Example 3: "Ring of Protection +1" (Magic Item Effect)

Open the item and go to its Effects tab
Click Create Effect
In the effect editor:
Name: "Ring of Protection +1"
Add change: Key: system.attributes.ac.otherMod, Mode: Add, Value: 1
Enable Transfer to Actor (should be enabled by default for items)
The effect will automatically apply when the item is equipped and remove when unequipped

Example 4: "+1 Strength while equipped" (Magic Item Ability Bonus)

Open the item and go to its Effects tab
Click Create Effect
In the effect editor:
Name: "Strength +1"
Add change: Key: system.abilities.str.otherMod, Mode: Add, Value: 1
Enable Transfer to Actor (should be enabled by default for items)
While the item is equipped, the character's effective Strength — and Strength modifier — go up by 1. The base Strength score on the sheet stays hand-editable the whole time (spellburn, ability damage, and other base-score edits work normally), and unequipping the item removes the bonus cleanly.

Target the otherMod key, not system.abilities.str.value — on system versions before 0.70.17 an effect on the value field permanently corrupted the score, and on later versions it locks the score against hand-edits while active.

Example 5: "Charmed house: Armor Class" (Birth Augur AC Bonus)

Birth augurs that modify a specific roll use the lucky roll modifier frozen at character creation — per the core rulebook (p. 19), this modifier does not change when Luck changes later. The DCC system stores this value at system.details.birthAugurLuckMod, which is populated automatically by the character parser.

To apply the "Charmed house: Armor Class" augur:

Go to the actor's Effects tab
Click Create Effect
In the effect editor:
Name: "Charmed house: Armor Class"
Add change: Key: system.attributes.ac.otherMod, Mode: Add, Value: @system.details.birthAugurLuckMod
The frozen birth augur luck modifier is added to AC, and stays fixed as the character's Luck score changes.

The same pattern works for any birth augur that modifies a specific roll — just target the appropriate attribute key (e.g., system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment for "The bull: Melee attack rolls") and use @system.details.birthAugurLuckMod as the value.

Pre-made effects: If the DCC Core Book module is installed, all of the automatable birth augur effects from the core book are already defined in the DCC Core: Birth Augur Effects compendium. Open the Compendiums sidebar, find that compendium, and drag the matching effect directly onto the actor.

Effect Icons on Ability Scores

When an effect modifies an ability score, a small icon appears in the upper-right corner of that ability's box on the character sheet. Hovering over the icon shows the effect name and value, making it easy to see at a glance which abilities are being modified.

When the effect targets the otherMod field (the recommended key), the effective score is also shown in the corner of the ability box — the main number remains the editable base score, and you can keep editing it while the effect is active. If instead an effect targets the value field directly (not recommended), manual edits to that score are ignored on save (the effect controls the field) — disable the effect first if you need to change the base score.

Dragging and Copying Effects

Effects can be dragged between actors and items to create copies:

From Item to Actor: Drag an effect from an item's Effects tab onto an actor sheet
From Actor to Actor: Drag an effect from one actor's Effects tab onto another actor sheet
From Actor to Item: Drag an effect from an actor's Effects tab onto an item sheet
From Item to Item: Drag an effect from one item's Effects tab onto another item sheet

When you drag an effect, a copy is created on the target - the original effect remains on the source. This is useful for:

Sharing standard effects between characters
Creating template effects on items that can be copied to actors
Quickly applying the same condition to multiple characters

Using the DCC Effects Compendium

The DCC system includes a built-in DCC Effects compendium with ready-to-use effects for common bonuses and penalties. To use it:

Open the Compendiums tab in the sidebar
Find DCC Effects under the system compendiums
Browse the available effects (organized by type: AC, Attack, Damage, Initiative, Saves, Skills)
Drag any effect directly onto an actor to apply it

The compendium includes effects for: - AC Bonuses/Penalties (+1 to +5, -1 to -5) - Attack Bonuses/Penalties (melee and missile, +1 to +5, -1 to -5) - Damage Bonuses/Penalties (melee and missile, +1 to +5, -1 to -5) - Dice Chain Effects (Action Die +1d/-1d, Crit Die +1d, Luck Die +1d) - Initiative Bonuses/Penalties (+1 to +5, -1 to -5) - Save Bonuses/Penalties (Fortitude, Reflex, Will, +1 to +5, -1 to -5) - Thief Skill Bonuses (+1 to +5 for all thief skills)

Creating Your Own Effect Library

You can also create custom effects and organize them:

Create one or more items (equipment type works well) to serve as "containers"
Name them descriptively (e.g., "Combat Conditions", "Spell Effects", "Status Conditions")
Add all your commonly-used effects to these items
When you need an effect, drag it from the library item onto your actor

You can organize your library items in a Compendium for easy access across worlds.

Using DFreds Convenient Effects

If you have the DFreds Convenient Effects module installed, you can create custom effects that work with DCC actors. This module provides a convenient UI for managing and applying effects, and any effects you create using DCC attribute keys will apply correctly to your characters.

Common Attribute Keys

Ability Scores

Target the otherMod modifier field, not the value or max base fields (see the warning near the top of this page). An otherMod effect shifts the effective score and the derived ability modifier; the base score stays hand-editable while the effect is active.

system.abilities.str.otherMod - Strength
system.abilities.agl.otherMod - Agility
system.abilities.sta.otherMod - Stamina
system.abilities.per.otherMod - Personality
system.abilities.int.otherMod - Intelligence
system.abilities.lck.otherMod - Luck

Notes: - The derived ability modifier (.mod) updates automatically from the effective score (base value + otherMod), so a +1 that crosses a modifier threshold (e.g. 15 → 16) raises the modifier too. - otherMod does not shift maxMod (the @maxLck/@maxStr roll-data aliases) — that stays derived from the raw max score, which only permanent changes move. - Spellburn and luck spending always consume the base score: a temporary otherMod bonus doesn't add burnable points (and a penalty doesn't remove them), and the thief/halfling Luck Die spend cap follows the base Luck score. - For permanent changes — ability damage, spellburn, curses that should consume the base score — edit the score directly on the character sheet instead of using an effect.

Combat Attributes

system.attributes.ac.otherMod - AC Modifier (requires auto-calculate AC, which is on by default for PCs; also works for NPCs)
system.attributes.speed.otherMod - Movement Speed Modifier (PCs)
system.attributes.init.otherMod - Initiative Modifier

Hit Points (system.attributes.hp.*) have no modifier field — apply damage, healing, and maximum-HP changes directly on the sheet rather than through an Active Effect. Likewise, if you have turned auto-calculate AC off on a PC, adjust the AC number directly instead of using an effect.

Attack & Damage Modifiers

system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment - Melee Attack Bonus
system.details.attackDamageBonus.melee.adjustment - Melee Damage Bonus
system.details.attackHitBonus.missile.adjustment - Missile Attack Bonus
system.details.attackDamageBonus.missile.adjustment - Missile Damage Bonus

Saving Throws

system.saves.frt.otherBonus - Fortitude Save Bonus
system.saves.ref.otherBonus - Reflex Save Bonus
system.saves.wil.otherBonus - Will Save Bonus

Class-Specific

system.class.spellCheckOtherMod - Spell Check Bonus
system.class.luckDie - Luck Die (for Thieves/Halflings)
system.class.backstab - Backstab Bonus (for Thieves)
system.attributes.critical.die - Critical Hit Die
system.attributes.fumble.die - Fumble Die

Thief Skills

Target the otherMod modifier field, not the value base (see the warning near the top of this page). - system.skills.sneakSilently.otherMod - Sneak Silently - system.skills.hideInShadows.otherMod - Hide In Shadows - system.skills.pickPockets.otherMod - Pick Pockets - system.skills.climbSheerSurfaces.otherMod - Climb Sheer Surfaces - system.skills.pickLock.otherMod - Pick Lock - system.skills.findTrap.otherMod - Find Trap - system.skills.disableTrap.otherMod - Disable Trap - system.skills.forgeDocument.otherMod - Forge Document - system.skills.disguiseSelf.otherMod - Disguise Self - system.skills.readLanguages.otherMod - Read Languages - system.skills.handlePoison.otherMod - Handle Poison - system.skills.castSpellFromScroll.otherMod - Cast Spell From Scroll

Other Skills

system.skills.detectSecretDoors.otherMod - Detect Secret Doors (Elves)
system.skills.sneakAndHide.otherMod - Sneak and Hide (Halflings)
Cleric skills also support a modifier: system.skills.divineAid.otherMod, system.skills.turnUnholy.otherMod, system.skills.layOnHands.otherMod
Dwarf shield bash: system.skills.shieldBash.otherMod

Effect Modes

Active Effects support different modes of application:

Add: Adds the value to the current attribute (most common)
Multiply: Multiplies the attribute by the value
Override: Replaces the attribute with this value
Upgrade: Uses the higher of current value or effect value
Downgrade: Uses the lower of current value or effect value
Dice Chain: DCC-specific mode that moves dice along the dice chain (see below)
Custom: For special DCC-specific effects (requires module support)

Dice Chain Mode

The Dice Chain effect mode is a DCC-specific feature that adjusts dice expressions along the DCC dice chain:

The Dice Chain: d3 → d4 → d5 → d6 → d7 → d8 → d10 → d12 → d14 → d16 → d20 → d24 → d30

How to use: 1. Set the Change Mode to "Dice Chain" 2. Set the Value to the number of steps to move: - 1 = move up one step (e.g., d20 becomes d24) - -1 = move down one step (e.g., d20 becomes d16) - 2 = move up two steps (e.g., d20 becomes d30)

Target Fields for Dice Chain: | Field | Attribute Key | |-------|---------------| | Action Die | system.attributes.actionDice.value | | Critical Die | system.attributes.critical.die | | Fumble Die | system.attributes.fumble.die | | Luck Die | system.class.luckDie |

system.attributes.actionDice.value is the one exception to the "never target a .value field" rule: the character sheet edits action dice through a separate configuration field, so a Dice Chain effect on this key is never written back into the base value.

Example: -1d to Action Die (Penalty) 1. Create a new effect 2. Add a change: - Key: system.attributes.actionDice.value - Mode: Dice Chain - Value: -1 3. This will reduce the character's action die by one step (e.g., d20 → d16)

Pre-made Effects: The DCC Effects compendium includes ready-to-use dice chain effects: - Action Die +1d / -1d - Crit Die +1d - Luck Die +1d

Duration

Effects can have various durations:

Permanent: Always active (good for magic items)
Temporary: Active for a specific duration
Until Rest: Lasts until the character rests
Special: Custom duration tracking

Tips

Stacking: Multiple effects with the same attribute key will stack if using "Add" mode
Equipment: Effects on items only apply when the item is equipped (for armor/weapons)
Order of Operations: Effects are applied in this order: Custom, Multiply, Add, Upgrade/Downgrade, Override
Testing: Use the browser console to check actor.system to find the exact path for attributes

NPC-Specific Behavior

NPCs handle some Active Effects differently from PCs due to their simplified stat blocks.

Effects Applied at Roll Time (Not Shown on Sheet)

The following effects are applied when the NPC makes a roll, but are not reflected in the NPC sheet's displayed values:

Attack Bonuses (system.details.attackHitBonus.melee.adjustment, system.details.attackHitBonus.missile.adjustment)
Damage Bonuses (system.details.attackDamageBonus.melee.adjustment, system.details.attackDamageBonus.missile.adjustment)

This is because NPCs don't have calculated melee/missile totals like PCs do - each NPC attack has its own to-hit and damage values. The effect bonuses are added to the roll when the attack is made.

Effects That Work the Same as PCs

These effects are applied normally and displayed on the NPC sheet:

Armor Class (system.attributes.ac.otherMod)
Initiative (system.attributes.init.otherMod)
Saving Throws (system.saves.frt.otherBonus, system.saves.ref.otherBonus, system.saves.wil.otherBonus)

Ability score otherMod effects (system.abilities.<ability>.otherMod) also work on NPCs — NPCs share the same ability schema as PCs.

As with PCs, do not target the editable base fields (ac.value, init.value, hp.value, hp.max, speed.value, or ability score value/max) — edit those directly on the NPC's stat block instead.

Troubleshooting

An effect keeps re-applying itself (a value climbs or falls on every edit)

Symptoms: You create an effect that adds to or subtracts from a stat — for example, a curse that subtracts 1 from system.abilities.lck.value. It applies correctly at first (Luck 12 → 11), but then the score drops again every time you change anything at all on the sheet: editing current HP, renaming the character, changing the portrait, typing in the Notes tab, leveling up. Before long the character is at 8 and falling.

Cause: The effect targets an editable base field rather than a dedicated modifier field. Whenever the sheet is saved (which happens on nearly any edit), the displayed — already modified — number is written back as the new base value, and the effect then applies again on top of it. Each save permanently bakes another application of the effect into the character.

Note: System version 0.70.17 fixes the compounding itself — sheet saves no longer write effect-modified values back into the base. The guidance on this page still stands, though: while an effect targets an editable field, any manual edit you make to that field is discarded on save (the system can't tell your edit apart from the effect's contribution), so modifier fields remain the right target. Characters that drifted on earlier versions still need the manual repair below.

The fields affected are the ones you can type into on the sheet: ability scores (system.abilities.*.value and .max), Hit Points (system.attributes.hp.*), system.attributes.ac.value, system.attributes.init.value, system.attributes.speed.value, and thief/other skill value fields.

To fix a character that has already drifted:

Delete (or disable) the offending effect.
Manually re-enter the correct base value on the sheet. If you're unsure what it was, check earlier values in the chat log, or work backwards: each sheet save applied the effect one extra time.
Re-create the effect against the stat's modifier field instead — the otherMod / otherBonus / adjustment keys listed under Common Attribute Keys.
If the stat has no modifier field (Hit Points), don't use an Active Effect for it — apply the change directly to the sheet and note its source in the effect's description or the Notes tab so you remember to remove it later. (Ability scores gained a modifier field — system.abilities.<ability>.otherMod — so recreate ability effects against that key.)

An effect isn't applying at all

Check the attribute key is spelled correctly (case-sensitive)
Ensure the effect is not disabled
For item effects, verify the item is equipped
Check the console (F12) for any error messages
Verify the value is appropriate for the mode (numbers for Add/Multiply)
If the key is an otherMod-style field, confirm the related auto-calculation is enabled — for example, system.attributes.ac.otherMod on a PC only applies while auto-calculate AC is on